The pandemic has contributed to an increased awareness of global supply chains, and people are increasingly concerned about labor exploitation and environmental degradation in the making of consumer products.
Tag: Environment
More Difficult Than Expected For Glaciers To Recover From Climate Warming
Ice shelves are floating extensions of glaciers. If Greenland’s second largest ice shelf breaks up, it may not recover unless Earth’s future climate cools considerably. This is the result of a new study, published in Nature Communications.

Emissions tied to the international trade of agricultural goods are rising
Irvine, Calif., May 6, 2022 – Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have drawn the clearest line yet connecting consumers of agricultural produce in wealthier countries in Asia, Europe and North America with a growth in greenhouse gas emissions in less-developed nations, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mount Sinai Ranked No. 5 on the 2022 DiversityInc Top Hospitals and Health Systems List
The Mount Sinai Health System was ranked No. 5 on DiversityInc’s Top Hospitals and Health Systems list for 2022.
National Zoning Atlas to demystify America’s patchwork of codes
Cornell University’s Legal Constructs Lab has announced the launch of a National Zoning Atlas, which will enable people to better understand zoning codes and the regulatory constraints embedded in them.
Researchers Discover New Species of Salamander From Gulf Coastal Plains Hotspot
A team of researchers led by R. Alexander Pyron, the Robert F. Griggs Associate Professor of Biology at the George Washington University, has discovered a new species of swamp-dwelling dusky salamander from the Gulf Coastal Plain of southeastern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama.
Rare, endangered insects and spiders illegally for sale online
Endangered and threatened insects and spiders, as well as common species that provide valuable ecological services, can be easily purchased – without adequate oversight – through basic internet searches, according to a new Cornell University study.
Coastal experts get chance to explore new Gulf-wide research tools and information
Over 800 coastal researchers and managers will get the chance to explore more than 25 regional tools on display April 26 at the Gulf of Mexico Conference (#GOMCON) in Baton Rouge, La. The Tools Café gives participants a unique opportunity to access some of the newest and best tools for coastal resilience, data management, and conservation while learning about these resources directly from developers who created each tool.
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have impact on textile wastewater pollution research
The world’s research effort into wastewater pollution caused by the textiles industry has increased threefold over the past five years, according to a new analysis released this week in the lead up to Earth Day (Friday 22 April).
Is ‘net zero’ really possible, and why are companies jumping on the bandwagon now?
Corporations that were on the fence about cutting greenhouse gas emissions jumped to the side of “yes” after the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Why? Because the panel’s goal of reaching “net zero” emissions – the point at which…
Used Face Masks – Infectious Waste that Requires Proper Disposal
Chula Engineering professor proposes ways to manage used masks and ATK test kits by choosing reusable masks, separating infectious waste, and preparing it properly before discarding it to be destroyed in a non-polluting disposal system to reduce overflowing waste problem.
Improve recycling compliance by using this technique in PSAs
A specific messaging strategy used in a public service announcement (PSA) video can effectively encourage New Yorkers who struggle with recycling compliance to properly separate their trash from recycling, according to the results of a University at Buffalo study.
Solving the battle for your orange juice
Researchers in Florida find that split nutrient application improves tree growth and yields
That new EV battery will be a headache to recycle. These solutions can help.
A new Cornell University-led study identifies several keys to sustainably managing the influx of electric vehicle batteries, with an emphasis on battery chemistry, second-life applications and recycling.
Wind and solar could power the world’s major countries most of the time
With the eyes of the world on the United Nations COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, strategies for decarbonizing energy infrastructure are a trending topic. Yet critics of renewables question the dependability of systems that rely on intermittent resources. A recent study led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine tackles the reliability question head-on.
Does environmental stress drive migration?
While climate-driven migration has been deemed a major threat in public discourse and academic research, comprehensive studies that take into account both environmental and social factors globally have been scarce. Now, with the help of machine learning, a research team led by Aalto University has drawn a clearer picture of the factors involved in migration for 178 countries.
Save the planet (and your health) by steering clear of sweets and pastries
Need another reason to cut back on sugary foods and drinks, apart from an expanding waistline? They’re not helping the environment, contributing to a higher cropland, water scarcity and ecological footprint, according to a new review led by the University of South Australia.
Desperate for change, island nations explore suing polluters
Facing an increasing amount of extreme weather and ever-rising sea levels, two island nations raised the possibility of claiming damages from major polluting countries through judicial means. The Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the Pacific nation of Tuvalu…
UCI becomes two-time recipient of STARS Platinum rating for sustainability efforts
For a second time, the University of California, Irvine has achieved a rare platinum rating through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, maintaining its status as one of the environmentally outstanding universities in the world.
University of Oregon COP26 Experts
Adrian Parr Adrian Parr has served as a UNESCO Water Chair since 2013. Her 2016 documentary, “The Intimate Realities of Water,” won more than a dozen awards, including Best Documentary at the 2016 United International Independent Film Festival. Her Watershed Urbanism exhibition…
We could feed ten billion people: research offers paths past the climate crisis – Experts from Aalto University available to comment on COP26’s adaptation theme
Greater Helsinki, Finland — Carbon emissions often dominate discussions about our environment, but feeding our growing population creates broader environmental problems that must also be addressed. Researchers have developed innovative solutions to meet this challenge through sustainable and environmentally sound…
FFAR Funding Supports Research to Speed Development of Perennial Crops
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is providing a Seeding Solutions grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to accelerate development of perennial crops.
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences joins ASU’s Global Futures Lab
In a major development in the bid to deepen the understanding of the role that the ocean plays in climate science, Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow announced today that ASU, a leading research university, has established a partnership with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), one of the longest-serving research institutes dedicated to studying ocean processes in the Western Hemisphere.
‘I’m melting, melting’ — environmentally hazardous coal waste diminished by harmless citric acid
In one of nature’s unexpected bounties, a harmless food-grade solvent has been used to extract highly sought rare-earth metals from coal ash, reducing the amount of ash without damaging the environment and at the same time increasing an important national resource.
California’s climate crisis examined on UCI special report website
For the past half century, the University of California, Irvine has been home to some of the world’s leading experts on the environment, energy, oceans and atmosphere in the Golden State. To share their stories, UCI today is launching a web special report, “California’s Climate Crisis.”
Nuclear waste interaction in the environment may be more complicated than once thought
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators proposed a new mechanism by which nuclear waste could spread in the environment. The new findings, that involve researchers at Penn State and Harvard Medical School, have implications for nuclear waste management and environmental chemistry.
Researchers find eco-friendly way to dye blue jeans
Researchers from the University of Georgia developed a new indigo dyeing technology that’s kinder on the planet. The new technique reduces water usage and eliminates the toxic chemicals that make the dyeing process so environmentally damaging. And to top it off, the technology streamlines the process and secures more color than traditional methods.
False spring: Climate change may erode frogs’ ability to withstand salt pollution
Climate change may erode frogs’ ability to withstand road salt pollution, according to researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
NSF grants $2.5M for seagrass, marine ecosystem research
The National Science Foundation’s Division of Ocean Sciences and Environmental Biology awarded a four-year, $2.5 million grant to Drew Harvell, professor emeritus in ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, to examine the transmission pathways of seagrass wasting disease in coastal meadows.
UCI is No. 2 in Sierra magazine’s 2021 ‘Cool Schools’ ranking of sustainability leaders
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 9, 2021 — The green streak continues! Sierra magazine has named the University of California, Irvine No. 2 overall in its annual “Cool Schools” ranking of sustainability leaders among U.S. and Canadian universities and colleges, marking the 12th time in a row that UCI has placed in the top 10 of the widely acclaimed list.
Ida’s remnants struck idling cold front for historic deluge
The historic and deadly Northeast deluge from Hurricane Ida on Sept. 1 was a result of a calamitous merger between the storm’s remnants and an idling cold front that rapidly turned water vapor into rainfall, according to researchers at Cornell’s NOAA Northeast Regional Climate Center.
Surroundings affect rhythm of an individual’s walk, according to new study
Stepping patterns become slower and more variable if a person is uncomfortable with their surroundings, researchers have found.
Uncertainty for farmers after water pollution rule scrapped
A federal judge on Monday scrapped a Trump administration rule that limited federal protections for streams, marshes and wetlands across the United States. The Biden administration had already sought to undo the policy and this ruling will allow for new…
FAU Kicks Off Fall 2021 Virtual ‘Research in Action’ Series
“Research in Action” is a virtual weekly talk series on Zoom. Each week, participants can listen to experts in their fields as they present their latest research and participate in question-and-answer sessions.
What is the quinoa seed and germplasm collection like?
Increasing genetic diversity protects against total crop failure
Census shows city growth trends that could threaten climate efforts
New 2020 census data released on Thursday shows that nearly all the nation’s growth was in cities. Population growth in urban environments can signal an important trend in fostering sustainable, dense communities, but only if that growth occurs in the…
Mountain lions moved less, downsized territory during LA’s pandemic shutdown
As people sheltered in place at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, sightings of wildlife in urban areas helped spawn a meme, “Nature is healing,” that reflected an intuitive belief: Carnivores were stretching their legs, and their ranges, by expanding into long-lost territory.
Reconnecting the People, Plants and Animals of the Kendall-Frost Marsh
UC San Diego’s Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve has received an $85,000 grant from Honda to create an integrated research and public engagement program centered on bringing Native American perspectives and cutting-edge science into the management and access decisions needed to ensure the marsh’s survival as a community asset.
The executive director of Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute is available to comment on the Aug. 9 report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The executive director of Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, Gabriel Filippelli, has released a statement and is available to comment on the Aug. 9 report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which the U.N.’s secretary general has described…
Family values outweigh politics in U.S. Latinos’ climate beliefs
For many in the U.S., human-caused climate change is a political tug-of-war between the left and the right. But for Latinos in this country, the issue hits much closer to home.
What’s Killing Coral Reefs in Florida is Also Killing Them in Belize
Only 17 percent of live coral cover remains on fore-reefs in Belize. A study finds new evidence that nitrogen enrichment from land-based sources like agriculture run-off and sewage, are significantly driving macroalgal blooms to increase on the Belize Barrier Reef and causing massive decline in hard coral cover. With only 2 percent of hard coral cover remaining in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, it’s too late to save that reef, but there’s still hope for the Belize Barrier Reef.
Story tips: Sensing oil leaks, 3D prints in space, more fuel from ethanol, Arctic modeling boost, making isotopes faster and nano-enabled microscopy
Story tips: Sensing oil leaks, 3D prints in space, more fuel from ethanol, Arctic modeling boost, making isotopes faster and nano-enabled microscopy

Extreme Heat, Dry Summers Main Cause of Tree Death in Colorado’s Subalpine Forests
Even in the absence of bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire, trees in Colorado subalpine forests are dying at increasing rates from warmer and drier summer conditions, found recent University of Colorado Boulder research.
UC San Diego Receives $35 Million in State Funding for New California Coastal Research Vessel
California legislators have allocated UC San Diego $35 million to design and build a new coastal research vessel with a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-hybrid propulsion system.
The new vessel, which will be operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, will serve as a platform for essential education and research dedicated to understanding the California coast and climate change impacts to the coastal ecosystem.

California’s carbon mitigation efforts may be thwarted by climate change itself
Irvine, Calif., July 22, 2021 – To meet an ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2045, California’s policymakers are relying in part on forests and shrublands to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but researchers at the University of California, Irvine warn that future climate change may limit the ecosystem’s ability to perform this service.
Danforth Center Joins Decade of Ag Movement
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced it has joined the Decade of Ag movement, recognizing that a unified vision of sustainable food, fiber and energy systems for the future requires collaboration, endorsement and advancement from across the agricultural value chain.

Browning leaves on Oak Ridge Reservation harbinger of next cicada generation
On the road leading to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, drivers may notice that many of the green trees lining the entrance to the lab are dappled with brown leaves. Just weeks past the summer solstice, this phenomenon is out of place and is in fact evidence of another natural occurrence: cicada “flagging.”
Using snakes to monitor Fukushima radiation
Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a University of Georgia study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be measured through its resident snakes.
Field biologists and NASA planes to map biodiversity in South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region
Scientists from the U.S. and South Africa are launching a campaign to map marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species and ecosystems in one of Earth’s biodiversity hotspots: the Greater Cape Floristic Region at the southwestern edge of South Africa.
Carbon Collect’s MechanicalTree™ Solution Selected for U.S. Department Of Energy award
Carbon Collect’s carbon capture system, based on the research of Klaus Lackner, an engineering professor at Arizona State University, has been selected for a $2.5 million award to support the design of three carbon farms using the company’s passive direct…